More about the race (part 2.1)

So I told you about the race, now a little about the event...

The 24 hours of Finale is the Intergalactic championship. This is where the team NASA came from. last year there was an unofficial team(team NASA) that was out in for for 5-6 laps before the were abducted and disappeared. They returned as four singlespeeders from the USA.
It is the largest Mountain bike event in Italy, so I hear. The venue sits atop a hill 450 meters above the sea, it is so steep it feels as if you could throw a rock in to the water. The first thing you notice when you enter the venue is the huge transition tent, then the large stage for entertainment, and the ramp up to the stage and the tunnel out the back of the stage. The ramp and tunnel are part of the course. During the night you come raging out of the transition in front of the crowd and ride through the band, it's a pretty cool feeling.

Like all the other great endurance events (Dirt, Sweat and Gears) I have been to, there was the trials show and a great expo area and a (metric) ton of great people.

Expect to see some great photos from this event, the organizers said the photographers took over 20,000 images. plus all the magazines and website that were there... I will post a bunch when we get back to the states.